Book picks similar to
Quit Going to Church by Bob Hostetler


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Confronting Jezebel: Discerning and Defeating the Spirit of Control


Steve Sampson - 2003
    Individuals ruled by the flesh, who cooperate with this spirit, sow discord, presumption, rebellion, insubordination and a host of other marks of Satan's kingdom. In this biblical, balanced, and eye-opening study, Steve Sampson, a gifted prophetic teacher, explains the origins and history of this insidious spirit, as well as how it functions through leaders in positions of spiritual authority. Because the Jezebel spirit is fueled by self-centeredness and self-promotion, Sampson helps readers understand how our flesh must be ruled by God and put under subjection to the Holy Spirit. He also offers readers clear signals of the presence of this spirit and specific direction for those who find themselves battling this subtle and destructive influence.

Little Sins Mean a Lot: Kicking Our Bads Habits Before They Kick Us


Elizabeth Scalia - 2016
    Through the author's honest (and sometimes funny) examination of these sins in her own life, as well as Church teaching, she gives us the tools to kick these bad habits before they kick us.

What If God Wrote Your Bucket List?: 52 Things You Don't Want to Miss


Jay Payleitner - 2015
    Tango. See the Eiffel Tower. Swim with sharks.Bucket lists can get pretty crazy! But what if God wanted you to think even further outside the box? To pattern your life after the one who said some pretty crazy things himself: "Love your enemies." "Store up treasures in heaven." "Seek first his kingdom and righteousness."If you checked every item off your bucket list, would your life be complete? In these pages you'll find 52 items to help you revamp your must-do list...Run with scissors. Bounce off brick walls. Celebrate quirks.Banish grudges. Dodge counterfeit happiness. Peek into dark corners.Get fired. Enlist invisible reinforcements. Get nose-to-nose with an alligator.As you check off God's bucket list, you may find yourself doing things you never thought possible. Jay Payleitner helps you get your priorities straight with the most important relationship in your life—you and God.

A Redesigned Life: Uncovering God's Purpose When Life Doesn't Go as Planned


Tracy Davis Steel - 2019
    We adore plans and perfectly staged rooms. But what happens when we discover we are living a life we did not design? When our dreams lie in tatters or when we experience loss of any kind? What happens when life feels like one big Pinterest fail? Where is God in the midst of what doesn't make sense? Does he care?Drawing from time-honored design principles such as movement, contrast, and pattern, former interior designer and Bible teacher Tracy Steel offers frustrated and discontented women the assurance that God is their ever-present, caring Designer. With a mix of wit and wisdom, Tracy proves through biblical examples and personal testimony that God remains true to his plans and purposes, accomplishing them in and through us in every season of life. She helps us recognize God's design principles, enabling us to embrace our sometimes messy lives, especially when they're ones we never would have designed for ourselves.

Because He Loves Me: How Christ Transforms Our Daily Life


Elyse M. Fitzpatrick - 2008
    Christians, then, should exhibit the greatest transformation of all because, rightly understood and cherished, God's love makes them increasingly more like the One who has lavished his love on them.So why do we so often struggle to exhibit God's love? Biblical counselor Elyse M. Fitzpatrick asks one simple question: "In your pursuit of godliness, have you left Jesus behind?" We need to be rescued from our "identity amnesia" and pointed to our true identity as God's beloved children--adopted by the Father, united with the Son, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.Fitzpatrick shows how a genuine transformation of identity leads to a transformation of our daily lives. Those who struggle with either legalism or lawlessness will find encouragement to return to God's love, the source of authentic and lasting change. Study questions and invitations to further discovery conclude each chapter. Now available in paperback.

Opening the Gates of Heaven: Walk in the Favor of Answered Prayer and Blessing


Perry Stone - 2012
      In Opening the Gates of Heaven, Perry Stone shows you how to release the flow of heaven’s blessing through both God’s revelation and the intervention of angelic messengers. With powerful examples from the lives of biblical characters and current examples from his own life, he reveals: Twelve truths he learned from the greatest prayer warrior The keys to recognizing the gates of heaven What you should do when God says no or delays answers Seven spiritual laws you must follow for answered prayer How to pray through the battle of the firstborn You do not have to be bound by the frustration of empty prayers and miracle-less living. God’s desire to meet your needs and to pour out an overflow of blessing is a part of His covenant with you.

Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul


Hannah Anderson - 2016
    It's a route made famous by natural beauty and the simple rhythms of rural life.And it's in this setting that Hannah Anderson began her exploration of what it means to pursue a life of peace and humility. Fighting back her own sense of restlessness and anxiety, she finds herself immersed in the world outside, discovering a classroom full of forsythia, milkweed, and a failed herb garden. Lessons about soil preparation, sour mulch, and grapevine blights reveal the truth about our dependence on God, finding rest, and fighting discontentment.Humble Roots is part theology of incarnation and part stroll through the fields and forest. Anchored in the teaching of Jesus, Anderson explores how cultivating humility - not scheduling, strict boundaries, or increased productivity - leads to peace. "Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy laden," Jesus invites us, "and you will find rest for your souls."So come. Learn humility from the lilies of the field and from the one who is humility himself. Remember who you are and who you are not, and rediscover the rest that comes from belonging to him.

Praying the Bible


Donald S. Whitney - 2015
    Offering readers hope, encouragement, and the practical advice they’re looking for, this concise book by professor Donald Whitney outlines a simple, time-tested method that can help transform our prayer lives: praying the words of the Bible. Praying the Bible shows readers how to pray through portions of Scripture one line at a time, helping us stay focused by allowing God’s Word itself to direct our thoughts and words. Simple yet profound, this resource will prove invaluable to all Christians as they seek to commune with their heavenly Father in prayer each and every day.

Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way


Shauna Niequist - 2010
    Bittersweet is the idea that in all things there is both something broken and something beautiful, that there is a moment of lightness on even the darkest of nights, a shadow of hope in every heartbreak, and that rejoicing is no less rich even when it contains a splinter of sadness. It’s the practice of believing that we really do need both the bitter and the sweet, and that a life of nothing but sweetness rots both your teeth and your soul. Bitter is what makes us strong, what forces us to push through, what helps us earn the lines on our faces and the calluses on our hands. Sweet is nice enough, but bittersweet is beautiful, nuanced, full of depth and complexity. Bittersweet is courageous, gutsy, audacious, earthy. This is what I’ve come to believe about change: it’s good, in the way that childbirth is good, and heartbreak is good, and failure is good. By that I mean that it’s incredibly painful, exponentially more so if you fight it, and also that it has the potential to open you up, to open life up, to deliver you right into the palm of God’s hand, which is where you wanted to be all long, except that you were too busy pushing and pulling your life into exactly what you thought it should be. I’ve learned the hard way that change is one of God’s greatest gifts, and most useful tools. Change can push us, pull us, rebuke and remake us. It can show us who we’ve become, in the worst ways, and also in the best ways. I’ve learned that it’s not something to run away from, as though we could, and that in many cases, change is a function of God’s graciousness, not life’s cruelty.” Niequist, a keen observer of life with a lyrical voice, writes with the characteristic warmth and honesty of a dear friend: always engaging, sometimes challenging, but always with a kind heart. You will find Bittersweet savory reading, indeed. “This is the work I’m doing now, and the work I invite you into: when life is sweet, say thank you, and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you, and grow.”

Rachel & Leah - Bible Study Book: What Two Sisters Teach Us about Combating Comparison


Nicki Koziarz - 2018
    Learn to be content without becoming complacent, and discover godly wisdom to quiet the incessant Why Her? question in your head. Develop greater awareness of your insecurities, and learn to stop the lies in their tracks. Because the truth will set you free, and free women don't have to measure up to anyone. Not even her.Features: Leader helps to guide questions and discussions within small groupsPersonal study segments with homework to complete between 6 weeks of group sessionsA weekly Bible verse to help combat comparisonOptional six interactive teaching videos, approximately 5-10 minutes per session, available for purchase or rentBenefits: Discover what the Bible says about God, Rachel, Leah, and Jacob, and how He used flawed people for His kingdom.Learn to define success through a biblical perspective.Remember that someone else's gain is not your loss.Evaluate the impact of comparison in your life.

When God Interrupts: Finding New Life Through Unwanted Change


M. Craig Barnes - 1996
    It's hard to keep up, to keep our balance. It's hard to keep trusting in God. And it's especially difficult when the changes we're faced with are unwanted: the death of a loved one, a child leaving home, an illness, a frustrated dream. Craig Barnes knows the dark side of change. As a pastor, he has counseled many Christians through tough times of transition. And he has been challenged by unwanted changes--interruptions--in his own life. At times it seems as though God has moved far, far away. But Barnes has discovered that just the opposite is true: during times of change and seeming abandonment, God is right at our side offering to lead us in a new direction, offering us new life. He writes, A young widow can outlive her grief and decide her life may never be the same but is far from over. A lost job can become the beginning of a new vocation. Here is the book for all who have known disappointment, bereavement or the shattering of faith, a book all the more valuable because it promises hope without denying despair. In When God Interrupts a sensitive, insightful pastor shows us how we can be found by God in the middle of unwanted change.

The Deeply Formed Life: Five Transformative Values to Root Us in the Way of Jesus


Rich Villodas - 2020
    Our pace is too frenetic to be in union with God, and we don't know how to quiet our hearts and minds to be present. Our emotions are unhealthy and compartmentalized. We feel unable to love well or live differently from the rest of the world--to live as people of the good news.New York pastor Rich Villodas says we must restore balance, focus, and meaning for our souls. The Deeply Formed Life lays out a fresh vision for spiritual breakthrough following five key values:- Monastic Value: unplug from this noisy world to care for your soul- Emotional Health Value: why deep love can't come from shallow wells- Healthy Sexuality Value: how our bodies connect with our spirituality- Multiracial Value: a spiritual, internal approach to pursuing racial justice- Missional Value: how to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a consumerist worldThe Deeply Formed Life is a roadmap to live in the richly rooted place we all yearn for: a place of communion with God, a place where we find our purpose.

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment


Jeremiah Burroughs - 1648
    This book remedies this spiritual disease in practical biblical ways.

The LEGO Principle: The Power of Connecting to God and One Another


Joey Bonifacio - 2012
    When He said this, He was making something clear to His listeners then as He does now: in life, it all boils down to our relationships. Using the example of LEGO®, a company that has been transforming the way people play for more than fifty years, Joey Bonifacio shows you how to make a difference, one connection at a time.

Flirting with the Forbidden: Finding Grace in a World of Temptation


Steven James - 2012
    We run into it every day and we all are susceptible to falling victim to its enticements. We're tempted to cheat on our taxes, milk the clock, lust after someone other than our spouse, dishonor our parents, lie to our friends, covet our neighbor's trip to Europe. But just because we must live with temptation doesn't mean we have to let it master us. In "Flirting with the Forbidden," bestselling author Steven James reminds readers that we are always just one step away from bowing to temptation, that we all share the same potential and propensity for evil. Combining powerful first-person narratives from Scripture with thought-provoking reflections on temptation, discipleship, and grace, James helps readers grow in discernment and reliance on the Holy Spirit and develop a deeper, more intimate walk with Christ.